1st Year Travel Summary: Closing the Great Circle

What a wonderful adventure this last year has been!  We've made some great friends, and seen a lot of "new road."  In our 1st full year of RV'ing, we've travelled almost 10,000 miles, either pulling the 5th wheel or traveling in the Motorhome.  This doesn't count the side trips we took in the pickup or the Jeep!  We also went on an Alaskan Cruise to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary.  What a year, and full of blessings.

For a graphic of our 1st year's 'Great Circle", click on the following link:  http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?user=peandbb.

After Vermont, we headed southwest diagonally down the Appalachian Mountains and back to Texas to visit family an friends, then "closed the loop" by heading back to Tombstone Territories RV Resort, near Huachuca City, AZ to spend the Winter.

We had a few issues with the motorhome slide, so scheduled some repair work at a RV dealer in Amsterdam, NY.  While in the area, we stayed adjacent to the Erie Canal on the Mohawk River at Arrowhead Marina and RV.

We also spent a few days at the Pine Valley KOA in White River Junction VT.  

We toured the beautiful Queeche Gorge as well and enjoyed the Fall colors:

Then to Herkimer, NY waiting for parts to come in for the RV:

From there, we visited a very nice RV park in Pine Grove Pennsylvania.  Interestingly, the ladybugs were swarming when we arrived and at least a million got into our coach.  For months, it has been "catch and release" as we distributed the Pennsylvania ladybugs into Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas and Arizona.  

We toured the Gettysburg battlefield.  A very impressive piece of our Nation's history, although the myriad of monuments to the various units that fought here clutter the battlefield in my opinion.

Next, we stopped in Tennessee at Two Rivers RV.  The Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area is beautiful, but way to "touristy" for my taste.  If you like lots and lots of folks, a pancake house and a miniature golf course on every corner, this is the place for you.  

In Mississippi we stopped in Rivertown RV in Gadsden.

From there, we stopped in Livingston, TX for an overnight, then drove onto Georgetown TX for a couple of weeks visiting family and friends, and cleaning out our last remaining storeroom.  

That done, we moved to San Antonio, TX to spend Thanksgiving with Kathy, Tina, Taki, Shelly, Blake, Lydia and Grant. 

Heading West, we stopped in Camp Wood to visit family and stayed at Big Oak River Camp.  Then we stopped in Ft Stockton at the Hilltop RV for a night, before staying one night at the Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces.

To end the Great Circle, we returned to Tombstone Territories RV Resort to spend the Winter of 2014-2015.  Arizona is as beautiful as we remember and our slot has a great view of the Dragoon and Whetstone Mountains.  We'll stay here until early March 2014.  From here, who knows?  I doubt it will be another "Great Circle", but it will be wonderful to see new roads and meet new folks.  

Stay tuned.   

Vermont: September-October 2014

Following up on a promise we made to good friends Fred, Mary Anne and Gibson Hoff, our next stop was to see the Fall colors in the beautiful State of Vermont.  Fred, Mary Anne and Gibson live in Bristol, VT.

Canada: September 2014

After Montana, BB, Henri and me headed North into a whole 'nother country; Canada.  We were worried that we would be given a thorough inspection at the Canadian checkpoint to insure that we were not bringing in guns, un-vaccinated doggies, or conservative leanings into this vast country, but our crossing at Coutts (Sweetgrass on the  American side) was uneventful and anticlimatic.

Montana: August 2014

After completing our cruise, BB, Henri and me headed for Montana to visit friends.

In her younger years, BB, Fount and Fran lived in Bozeman, Montana, and were involved in activities with church friends in that area.  It was great to see old friends and to refresh memories.

Cruise: Seattle to Alaska - Aug 10-17, 2014

For our 30th wedding anniversary, BB and I booked a cruise (my first) leaving Seattle Washington, then heading up Puget Sound, then out to sea for a day toward Alaska, then cruising the Tracy Arm, then onto Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan AK, then to Victoria BC, then back to Seattle.  See the graphic below for our cruise map.

Grant's Visit: Seattle - August 2014

Piling up frequent flyer miles, BB flew Lydia back to Austin, and picked up our Grandson Grant Hewett on the return trip for a week in the Seattle area.

Like Lydia, this was Grant's first airplane ride and he thought it was a grand experience.  Once at the RV, Grant claimed one of the recliners, a box of Cheez-its, kicked his shoes off and said "Ahhhh!."

Flying is Hard Work!

Lydia's Visit and Anacortes Vacation with KP and Family: 7/13 - 7/29/14

Following the 4th of July festivities with Kelly Paul (KP), Tammy and Devon, we moved the RV up to Portland, into the Portland Fairview RV Park.  This is a nice, large park, within the Portland metroplex, and convenient to the Portland Airport.  While the park is well maintained, it apparently does not come equipped with sufficient electrical service to meet the needs of the newer big rigs.  It was unusually hot in Portland, and the electrical circuit for our string of RVs kept clicking off.  Upon inspection by one of the park employees, I was told that I could only run one AC.  We managed, but it was an inconvenience.

July 4th in North Bend/Coos Bay, Oregon

During July, 2014, we headed back to the North Bend/Coos Bay area and stayed again at the Mill Casino RV Park.

Seven Feathers, DingDings and Sour Cream

Our home for the next few days is the Seven Feathers RV Resort, located off of I-5, near Canyonville, Oregon.

Rogue River, California, and Crater Lake

After picking up our new diesel-pusher class A RV, we were happy to "kidnap" our Grandson Devon Northcutt for a few days.  On our first day, we traveled from the Mill Caino RV Park in North Bend, OR, and checked into Bridge View RV park in Grants Pass Oregon.  This park is mostly long-term sites, with a few transient sites, on the banks of the Rogue River.  We spent two nights here.

Our New Home

We've been full-time RV'ing now for over 7 months.  We love the RV life style and hope to keep it up (Good Lord willin' and the creeks don't rise), for many years in the future.  For the past several months, BB and I have been debating the merits of whether a 5th wheel RV or a motorcoach fits our current life style best.

Deerwood RV Park, Eugene, OR

Taking care of some business in Eugene, Oregon, BB, Henri and I checked into the Deerwood RV Park, (see link), located southeast of Eugene near the intersection of IH-5 and Oregon 58:

Joseph, Oregon and Lake Wallowa

While the RV was in the shop recovering from my stellar driving skills, BB, Henri and I drove into the northeast corner of Oregon to visit the town of Joseph.  We had heard from RV friends that this was a beautiful part of the State, and found that they were right.

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

On May 12, 2014, BB, Henri and I toured the Painted Hills unit and the Sheep Rock unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.  The monument is located in east-central Oregon in Wheeler and Grant Counties, and located along the John Day River.  CLICK HERE for a link to the National Park Service website for this attraction.

Sidehill Woofus, Jahootie, and other Oddities

When my kids were growing up, I shared with them stories dealing with the odd things in this world; stories which caused Kelly or Shelly to raise their eyebrows as they glanced at each other to determine if Dad was pulling their leg or not.  Like most legends or myths, these were based in fact, otherwise they would have been dismissed out of hand.

Bend Oregon: Roundabout Art

Bend, Oregon is a beautiful, vibrant city, with ample opportunities for outdoor and indoor recreation and culture.  Driving through Bend, we noticed a couple of things:

1. They love "roundabouts."  (For us Texas folks, we know them as "Traffic Circles."; and
2. They love to put ART in the roundabouts.

4/26/14: Newberry National Volcanic Monument

A fascinating geologic sidetrip in the Bend, Oregon area must include the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.  BB, Henri and me took advantage of a spectacular day in central Oregon to visit this site.

The Newberry National Volcanic Monument is located south of Bend, Oregon, near La Pine Oregon, off of US 97.

Day Trip: 4/24/14 and 4/25/14

On April 24, 2014, BB, Henri and me drove a short loop drive from Sisters to Redmond, up to Terrebonne, over to Oregon 26, on to Madras, then back along US 97 to Terrebonne and then onto Sisters.

Near Terrebonne, we drove by Smith Rocks State Park, an interesting geological formation which is a favorite of rock climbers and hikers.  BB, Henri and I may well go back hiking there, but don't bet on any of us doing any rock climbing.

Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort: 4/22/14 through 5/21/14

We limped into our next RV park on 4/22/12.  The Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort (Link).  The facility address is 67667 Hwy 20, Bend, Oregon 97701.  The park is located approximately 4 miles from Sister, and approximately 15 miles from Bend, Oregon.  For this stay, we were assigned Site #65.

Charleston to Bend: Unplanned stop 4/21/14

Leaving Oceanside RV Resort near Charleston, OR, our original plans were to head North on US101 up to Florence, then take Oregon 126 to Eugene, OR, then on 126 through Leaburg, Vida and Blue River, then up over Tombstone and Santiam Passes along the Cascade Mountain Range, then Oregon 20 down into Sisters Oregon where we would check into our next destination, the Bend-Sisters Garden RV Resort, south of Sisters, OR.

For a map of our route, Click Here.  

North Bend - Coos Bay Oregon: 4/21 through 5/21/14

We were able to spend a month in the beautiful home town of Kelly, Tammy and Devon Northcutt.

North Bend / Coos Bay

North Bend is on the Southern Oregon coast, southwest of Eugene, OR, and west of Roseburg OR.

North Bend / Coos Bay Map

The cities of North Bend and Coos Bay basically join each other and are somewhat indistinguishable save for the signs which announce the city limits as you drive.

North Bend shows a population of approximately 10,000 as of the 2010 census, and is surrounded on three sides by Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean.  The city of Coos Bay borders North Bend to the south.

TTRV to Charleston Oregon; March 2014

With regret, and not a little sadness on leaving some new friends, BB, Henri and me left our winter headquarters, Tombstone Territories RV.

Travel Schedule: Arizona to Oregon - March 2014

Our travel schedule is all complete for our trip from Arizona to Oregon.  We're looking forward to seeing a little of the California west coast in route to spend the summer in the Oregon-Washington area, visiting Kelly, Tammy and Devon!

To access our travel plans for this trip, CLICK HERE.

Chiricahua National Monument: 2/26/14

BB, Henri and I drove from TTRV to the Chiricahua National Monunent.  According to the National Park Service Website, the monument was once the home of Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson, along with their children Lillian, Ben, and Hildegarde.  They called it their "Faraway Ranch" and the family graveyard rests in a beautiful spot, underneath a large Alligator Juniper at the start of the Park.  The Erickson family bequeathed the land to the National Park Service.

Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness

On 2/22/14, thanks to TTRV friends David and Pat Johnson (and the best Arizona tour guides ever), we took a trip into the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness.  This is a stunning portion of Arizona under the management of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Nature Conservancy.

SE Arizona Activities: Jan-Feb 2014

January and February 2014 has provided opportunities to see many new sights in southeastern Arizona.

On January 9, 2014, the TTRV crew took a field trip to the Amerind Foundation, founded by William Shirley Fulton in 1937 to foster and promote the understanding of the native peoples of America through research, education and conservation.  This is a beautiful museum situated in "Texas Canyon", between Benson and Wilcox.  (Texas Canyon was so named because a group of Texans from Coleman County originally settled in this area, and the local folks began to say this was the canyon with "all those damn Texans in it", hence the name).  Here are some pics from our Amerind trip:

Some of the TTRV Crew:  (L-R) Dave, Sharon, Pat, David, Anne and Georgia

Boot Hill & Big Nose Kates: January 7, 2014

Again we found ourselves in Tombstone, to eat at Big Nose Kate's Saloon, and to visit the infamous Boot Hill cemetery.

According to Wikipedia, Big Nose Kate was a Hungarian-born prostitute, and later long-time companion and common law wife of Doc Holiday.  In 1876, Kate moved to Fort Griffin, Texas and met Wyatt Earp and begin her association with Doc Holiday.  Doc was reported to have said that Kate was his "intellectual equal."

Big Nose Kate's Saloon in Tombstone, was once called the Grand Hotel, and was built in 1880.  Ike Clanton and two of the Mclaury brothers stayed in the hotel the night before the famous gunfight at the OK corral.

Little Boquilas Ranch Hike: January 6, 2014

The day following our Presidio Hike, BB, Henri, and I joined Fred, Mary Ann and Gibson Hoff on a nice hike to what is termed the Little Boquilas Ranch.  This trail is part of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, and the trailhead is on the opposite side of the road from the Fairbanks Historic Site trailhead.

I know little of the history of this ranch, other than it was once a working ranch along the San Pedro River, now purchased and under the management of the State.

One of the interesting events of the hike was BB discovering a whole herd (troop, pod, congress?) of coati.  To me they looked like a cross between a coon and a lemur.  Anyway, there must have been 20-30 of the critters which immediately took off through the trees to parts unknown.

Coati

Presidio of Santa Cruz de Terrenate Hike: January 5, 2014

For our first hike of the new year, BB, Henri and I made the short trip from TTRV to the trailhead to the Presidio of Santa Cruz de Terrenate.

San Pedro House: January 2014

TTRV is just a couple of miles from the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (NCA).  TTRV is located in the upper third of the SPRNCA, near the historic town of Fairbank.

The NCA contains nearly 57,000 acres of land in Cochise County, Arizona, between the international border and St. David, Arizona.  A map of the NCA is available at this link.

Huachuca Mountains: Wakefield Canyon Hike - & Montezuma's Pass: December 30, 2013

To celebrate the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, Fred and Mary Ann Hoff,  BB and I went for a hike in the Huachuca Mountains.

The hike is locally called the "Wakefield Canyon" hike.  According to my source "Trails of the Huachuas" by Leonard Taylor, mining above Wakefield Camp began about the time of the Civil War, although apparently little ore was taken out.  Jack Wakefield owned the property in 1896, mining more investors than minerals.  Now owned by the US Forest Service, all buildings have been removed.

Henri's Trip to the Dentist

Poor Henri.  He normally has a fairly sedate life.  Waking up for a good rub and wrestle in the big bed, early morning walk to do his business, breakfast, then a series of naps during the day on the sofa, underneath his favorite blanket.

Henri's Favorite Position in the RV

Tombstone TTRV Field Trip: December 2013

Our TTRV activity director, Anne, led a group of RV'rs over to the quintessential tourist trap in Arizona; Tombstone.

What can you day about Tombstone?  Everything we know we learned in either of the two famous movies on the town; "Tombstone" starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliott, or "Wyatt Earp" starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman.

Parker Canyon Lake Hike: December 23, 2013

On December 23, 2013, our hiking buds, Fred, Mary Ann and Gibson Hoff, joined Henri, BB and me on a hike around Parker Canyon Lake.

Parker Canyon Lake is located 28 miles southwest of Sierra Vista, about 5 miles from the international border with Mexico, in the south end of the Canelo Hills in Cochise County.  It covers about 125 surface acres, has an average depth of 82 feet, and has a surface elevation 5,400 feet.  The lake is maintained by the Coronado National Forest Division of the US Forest Service, and is known as one of Arizona's good fishin' holes with Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Sunfish and Channel Catfish.

Bisbee Arizona: December 2013

On December 22, 2013, Fred and Mary Ann Hoff, BB and I toured Bisbee.  For this trip, both of our dogs, Henri and Gibson, were banished to the soft, safe confines of our respective RV's.

Bisbee, founded in 1880 as a copper, gold and silver mining town, is a fascinating town to visit.  Thanks to my sources on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisbee,_Arizona), and the Cochise College /http://skywalker.cochise.edu/wellerr/geology-SEAZ/mules/Mules-list.htm   Open pit mining was introduced around 1917 to meet the heavy copper demand of World War I.  The Lavender Pit Mine, an open pit mine operated by the Phelps-Dodge Corporation until 1975, is something to behold.

Hiking in the Whetstones: December 16, 2013

Bonnie, Henri and I have been so fortunate to meet some wonderful people while here at TTRV.  One couple we met, Fred and Mary Ann Hoff, are from Vermont, and the four of us share an interest in hiking.  Fred and Mary Ann have been RV'ing for several years, and Bonnie and I have learned to use them as a source of good information on the overall RV lifestyle, as our tastes align surprisingly  closely to their tastes and experiences.  Not only are they an incredible couple, they have an Australian Sheppard dog named "Gibson" which has become a "best bud" of Henri.

Wilcox, AZ: December 12, 2013:

One of our first trips, thanks to activity directors Jim and Anne, was to visit Wilcox, AZ, founded in 1880, as a whistlestop on the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Wilcox is best known as the birthplace of Rex Allen, a western movie star during the 1950's.  It's also known as the hometown of country-western singer Tanya Tucker.  One of the members of our Wilcox tour (a fellow RV'r), had lived in the Wilcox area and "tut-tutted" the memory of Tanya in Wilcox.  Apparently Tanya felt she was a diva during high school and acted accordingly.  Perhaps Tanya had the last laugh - all the way to the bank.

Arizona: Initial Impressions

As of this writing, we've been in SE Arizona since November 22, 2013.  It's been almost a month and a half since I've posted anything.  In looking back, BB, Henri and I have been involved in numerous discrete events, all of which we have enjoyed tremendously.

To be honest, one of the events involved Henri losing three teeth, and I doubt he enjoyed that particular event.  He's OK now and back in his regular form - as our Vet said "dogs are stoic."  I hadn't thought about it that way, but perhaps she's right.